Germany and the growth of democracy

History AQA GCSE

When was Germany unified?

1871

Who unified Germany?

Otto von Bismarck

What was the biggest and most powerful German state?

Prussia

the Second Reich

Period in German history in which Bismarck formed a united Germany

Alsace-Lorraine

Territory taken by Germany from France as a rest of the Franco Prussian war.

Kaiser

German word for king

Militarism

the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should have a power army/ navy

Reich

German word for empire

Junkers

Prussian nobles

Bundesrat

German local government

Reichstag

German Parliament

Chancellor

the highest official of a monarch, prime minister

3 cousins that rule Germany, Britain and Russia

Tsar Nicholas II, King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm II

Where did Prussia invade in 1865?

Denmark

When was Wilhelm II born?

27th Jan 1859

When did Wilhelm become King?

In 1888, at 29 years old

Weltpolitik

The policy of making Germany a world power

Place in the Sun

Kaiser Wilhelm II's term for his desire to expand German power by building oversea colonies

Anglo-German Naval Race

Germany wanted to beat British in navy race to get best and biggest ships

Autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power.

Ludendorff

German general

Weimar Government

refers to the German government that was formed after Germany's defeat in WWI and after Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates

What did Wilhelm II do after becoming Kaiser?

Introduces Mass accelerated industrialisation

Naval Laws

1898 and 1912

Admiral von Tirpitz

secretary of the German navy that worried the British since he constructed a large navy and a number of battleships.

Dreadnoughts

Giant battleships: the British had the most in their powerful navy

9th November 1918

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates and flees to Holland. Weimar Republic declared.

How was Germany affected economically after WWI

- Germany had to repay their loans to America
- Germany lent money to its allies during WWI
- National income was 1/3 and Industrial Production was 2/3 of what it was in 1913
- 1916 potato crop was destroyed by frost

How was Germany affect socially after WWI

- The war left 600,000 widows and 2 million children
- List of demands from worker's council in 1918
-Ex-soldiers felt betrayed by the politicians that signed the armistice

How was Germany affected politically after WWI

- Communism was getting popular
- November Criminals
-Kapp Putsch
- Spartacist Uprising
- Treaty of Versailles

Constitution

A set of rules by which a country is governed

The President

- elected every 7 years
-controls army, navy and air forces
- can use article 48

Article 48

Allowed the President, under certain circumstances, to take emergency measures without the prior consent of the Reichstag or the chancellor

The chancellor

- chosen by president
- leader of party with the most votes
-runs country
-needs support of 51% MPs to pass laws

The reichstag

- discusses and passes laws
- chosen by people elections held every 4 years
- proportional representation

The German People

-all men and women over 20 can vote
-elected the president and members of the reichstag

proportional representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

Left Wing Ideals

- power held by workers and the people
-government's role to share wealth and support everyone
-aim for peace with other countries through diplomacy
-acceptance of all

Examples of left wing parties

communists (KPD) and socialists (SPD)

Right Wing Ideals

-power held by a strong central government
-government's role to allow people to succeed or fail
-aims for strong military to secure safety vs other countries
-nationlism

Examples of right wing parties

Conservatives (DNVP) and Fascists (Nazis)

Nazis

-strong, powerful leader with the ability to make decisions
-abolition of democracy
-removal of communists
-appealed to unemployed ex-soldiers and anti-communist middle and upper class

DNVP (German National People's Party)

-appealed to middle, upper class
-strong leader and central government
-protection for industrialists and merchants

SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany)

-democracy, power held by politicians voted for by the public
-appealed to working class
-proportional representation
-doesn't want to fight another war

KPD (Communist Party of Germany)

-known as spartacist league
- no kaiser or single leader
-power held by workers
-equality and co-operation

DVP (German People's Party)

-appealed to middle classes
-open to return of kaiser
-pro-democracy and pro-business and trade
-pro-Weimar

Zentrum (Catholic Centre Party)

-mainly catholic
-public elect parliament officials
-clear hierarchy
-pro-republic and pro-democracy

Pro-Weimar parties

SPD, Zentrum, DVP

Anti-Weimar parties

KPD, DNVP, Nazis

Coalition

several political parties join together

Freidrick Ebert

Leader of SPD and first chancellor of Weimar republic

Stab in the Back Myth

Myth that Weimar politicians had betrayed Germany by signing the armistice

British Blockade

blockades all the german ports, choking off germany's imports, including food.

Big problem during WWI due to coastal blockades

Starvation

Putsch

German word for revolt

Spartacists

communist group who attempted to overthrow the Weimar in 1919

Freikorps

"Free Corps" ex-soldiers who put down the spartacists

Treaty of Versailles (28th June 1919)

Treaty that ended World War I - most important part was the forced blame on Germany and other allies

How Germans opposed the Weimar Republic?

-assassinations between 1919-1922 (over 360 politicians)
-2 politicians were attacked (Matthais Erzberger-signed the armistice and foreign minister Walter Rathenau)
-Minister Philip Scheidemann was attacked with acid

Spartacist Uprising

January 1919

What happened during the Spartacist Uprising?

- led by rosa luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht thousands of spartacists took over the berlin streets and organised a general strike of workers
-Put down by 2000 Freikorps violent in 3 days
-Rosa Luxeburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered

Significance of the Spartacist Uprising

Unpopular with communists.
Military weak so they were reliant on the Freikorps for support
Left-wing wants further reform

Kapp Putsch

March 1920

What happened during the Kapp Putsch?

- Led by Wolfgang Kapp
-5000 Freikorps attempted to overthrow the Weimar Republic
-The workers went on general strike to stop the revolt
-Strikes led to collapse of industry
-Weimar Republic returns
-Kapp fled to Sweden
- 1 of the strikes (Red Rising in the Ruhr) continued

Significance of the Kapp Putsch

Unpopular with right wing and Weimar Republic heavily reliant on Freikorps for stability

How many people in total died in WWI?

16.5 million

How many Germans died in WWI?

2.5 million

What was the Paris Peace Conference?

A conference at the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris in 1919; Allied powers (mainly France, Britain and the USA) tried to end the war

Who was the minister of Great Britain?

David Lloyd George

What did David Lloyd George want?

To punish Germany-but not too much, and to strip Germany of their overseas colonies and his main aim was a 'just peace'- a settlement that punished Germany a little but allow them to rebuild

Who was the Prime minister of France?

Georges Clemenceau

What did Georges Clemenceau want?

To get revenge by crippling Germany and for them to be pushed back to the Rhine. Also, he wanted Germany's armed forces to be reduced. Main aim- revenge

Who was the President of the USA?

Woodrow Wilson

What did Woodrow Wilson want?

peace, league of nations and he proposed '14 points'. His main aim was self-determination- all nationalities should rule themselves

Why didn't Germany like the Treaty of Versailles?

-The treaty was TOO HARSH. It took away key industrial land and jobs and crippled the economy
- It was a diktat- Germany was FORCED to sign it
- It was humiliating
- Many Germans didn't understand how they lost the war

DIktat

Dictated peace

What were the Political consequences of the Treaty?

-100,000 Germans protested the signing in Berlin
- Hidenburg criticised the deal
- The signees were labelled as November Criminals
- Spartacist Uprising and Kapp Putsch

TRAWL

Territory
Reparations
Armaments
War Guilt
League of Nations

Facts about Territories Lost

-10% of land lost
-12.5% of population no longer in Germany
-1.5 million Germans live in Poland
-Alsace-Lorraine returns to France
-North Schleiswig goes to Denmark
-Polish corridor goes to Poland
-Danzig and Saarland goes to the league of nations

How did the territories lost weaken Germany?

Collapses their industrial income, so they don't get enough money leading to poverty and starvation

Facts about Reparations

- 16% coalfields, 50% iron and steel lost
-Germany forced France to pay £200M in 1871
-Germany was forced to pay £6.6B for all the damage, but was reduced in 1929 (Young Plan) and they stopped paying in 1932

How did reparations weaken Germany?

Not enough money \= No economical growth \= Poverty and Starvation \= Higher taxes

Facts about army reduced

-Army limited to 100,000 men
-conscription banned
-no aircrafts, submarines or tanks
-navy limited to 15,000 men and battleships
-rhineland demilitarised

how did army reduced weaken germany?

Germans don't like the allies or the November criminals. They have a very poor defence

Facts about war guilt clause

- Article 231 of Treaty of Versailles
-Germany had to accept all the blame and responsibility for the war
-Germany was humiliated

How did war guilt clause weaken germany?

German people saw it as unfair. No one wants to ally with Germany and resentment grows in Germany

Facts about the league of nations

- Self-determination (No Anschluss)
-League of nations was formed- Germany not allowed to join until it showed it was a 'peace-loving country'

How did the league of nations weaken Germany?

German people don't like it. They have no allies. They don't have a say and can't defend themselves and must follow rules

1923

hyperinflation, ruhr crisis and munich putsch

what happened during the ruhr crisis (jan 1923)?

1) Germany doesn't have enough money to pay the next installment of reparations
2)60,000 French and Belgian soldiers invade the ruhr (the industrial heart)
3) The workers go on general strike and start passive campaigning
4) As a result, the French killed 132 German workers and 15,000 evicted
5) The German government start printing more money
6) Inflation happens- they start printing more money
7) Hyperinflation happens- by nov 1923 the price for a loaf of bread was 201 billion marks
8) Nov 1923- Stresemann becomes chancellor and introduces Rentemark in 1924

Munich Putsch

8th November 1923- violent attempt by Nazis led by Hitler to overthrow the Weimar Republic

Short terms causes of the putsch

- Hyperinflation led to poverty and economic crisis
-November criminals
-Stresemann humiliated Germany by restarting reparations and dealing with France

Long term causes of the putsch

- Treaty of Versailles
-Bavaria is right-wing, want to restore Germany's power and pride

What happened during the munich putsch?

1) Gustav Von Kahr was addressing 3000 businessmen at a beer hall in munich
2) Hitler, Hermann Goering and 600 SA surround the hall
3) Hitler took Kahr to the backrooms to convince him to join the putsch but failed
4) Erich Ludenorff arrived, and Kahr told Hitler he supports the putsch
5) Hitler let Kahr go, but he didn't know Kahr would betray him
6) On the 9th, 2000 Nazis supporters marched to the city center but the police and army were waiting for them
7) Violence broke out-3 policemen and 16 Nazis dead. Hitler flees but arrested 2 days later
8) Hitler put on trial and sentenced to 5 years in prison in Landsberg; he serves 9 months and wrote Mein Kampf- outlining Nazi beliefs

Why was the putsch a success?

-Hitler's trial made him famous
-realised he couldn't use force to take over germany but political means
-used his imprisonment to write Mein Kampf

Why was the putsch a failure?

-failed to replace the Weimar Republic
-sentenced to 5 years; serves 9 months
-Nazi party is banned & Hitler is banned from public speaking
- Leadership of the Nazi was in chaos during Hitler's imprisonment

Gustav Stresemann

German Foreign Minister 1924-19129 who was Chancellor in 1923. Member of DVP

DIFFERS

Dawes Plan (1924)
Inflation Control (Nov 1923)
French leaves the Ruhr (April 1924)
Foreign Policy Success
Economic Growth
Reforms
Strength at the Centre

Facts about Dawes Plan

- Stresemann calls off passive resistance
- Germany starts paying the reparations
- Gave Germany longer to make the payments
-Restructed central German bank

How did Dawes Plan improve Germany?

- Restructed Central Government
-Industrial Growth
-Improvement in living standards